- April 24, 2024
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Wayne Grant
News Editor
Shanahan gets high rating
City Manager Joyce Shanahan received another glowing review from the City Commission in her annual review, receiving a 4.85 score out of a possible 5. A rating of four means “exceeds expectations” while five translates to “outstanding.”
“The first six years have gone by quickly and have been replete with many opportunities and great accomplishments by the city,” Shanahan wrote in a memo.
In the coming year, she said, she will continue to focus on identifying grant opportunities.
She provided the commission with a multiple-page list of accomplishments in 2014 and goals for 2015, which can be found in the agenda packet for the April 7 City Commission meeting, available on ormondbeach.org. The evaluation is item 9A on the agenda.
Shanahan said she looks forward to working with the commission to develop its strategic plan, airport master plan and finalizing the utility master plan along with opening an Environmental Learning Center.
“She keeps us informed about everything,” said Mayor Ed Kelley.
Commissioner Rick Boehm said he hopes Shanahan does not anywhere else, and retires from Ormond Beach.
Sip wine and create your masterpiece
The City Commission gave final approval to an amendment to city codes at its April 7 meeting that will allow a business where customers can sip beer or wine while learning to paint.
Krista Goodrich plans to open Masterpiece Mixers, where people create a painting with the help of an instructor. They would bring their own beer or wine.
She has 10 franchises, but she has said she will personally operate the one in Ormond Beach.
The code allows the usage only in the downtown (Granada Boulevard) area.
The owner has a planned location at 154 W. Granada Blvd. and would be a tenant of the Highlander Corp., which is owned by developer Bill Jones.
Rules for pool enclosures eased
The City Commission gave final approval to an amendment to the Land Development Code to allow existing pool screen enclosures to be replaced if damaged, even if nonconforming to code.
The Board of Adjustments and Appeals, which considers variances to city building code, has reported a high number of cases related to screen enclosures. People who had damaged screens had to have a variance to replace them, if they were nonconforming to setback rules.
The Board decided not to change the code itself, allowing abutting property owners to object or express concerns if a pool screen enclosure is erected at a setback less than ten feet in the rear yard or 7.5 feet in the side yard, according to city documents.
City looks at codes for properties
The Quality of Life Advisory Board is currently considering changes to the city Code of Ordinances, related to property maintenance. The board sends recommendations to the City Commission, which makes final decisions.
At the April 1 Board meeting, City Manager Joyce Shanahan gave a presentation on the current codes, as well as examples of things the city does not control.
“There are some things we can regulate and some things we can’t,” she told the board members. “We want guidance from you.”
Examples of current regulations include grass height, illegal signage and inoperable vehicles. Examples of areas not under city control include shrubbery, boarded windows and peeling paint.
Shanahan said codes have to be balanced with property rights.
“Our goal is to achieve compliance and not penalize,” she said.
She told the board that she would bring examples of codes from other cities to a future meeting, and she expects the discussion will take a couple of months.
